Lines and routes

The Lines layer draws line geometry — connections between places, routes, flows, and paths. Each line can come from an origin/destination pair per row, or from an ordered set of points.

Line modes

• Straight — a direct line between points.
• Geodesic (great circle) — the shortest path across the globe, curved to follow the Earth's surface. Ideal for long-distance flows such as flights or shipping.
• Road network — the line follows the real road network, routed in your browser from map tiles. Use this to show driving routes rather than straight-line distance.
• 3D arc — an arc that lifts off the surface, useful for showing origin-to-destination flows on a 3D globe.
• Glowing path — a styled, luminous line for emphasis.

Styling

Lines can be colored and sized by your data — for example, width by volume or color by category — and can carry labels and tooltip fields like any other layer.

Related analysis tools

If you want to measure or analyze travel rather than simply draw routes, see:

• Travel time — reachability catchments from each point.
• Selection & analysis — drive-time selection and the measure tool.

Next steps

• Shapes & geometry — draw areas and polygons.
• Vehicle tracker — animate movement along routes.